RIP Google RSS Subscription Reader Extension

byS.RoyonMarch 16, 2013

Google has removed its own RSS Subscription Reader extension for Chrome browser from the official Chrome web store. Although the exact time is not known, the removal appears to have occurred only recently.

As Chrome users must have noticed, the extension made itself apparent through a small, orange icon beside the website URL and to the left of the bookmark icon in the browser address bar. Users could quickly subscribe to the RSS feed of any website they were in by clicking on this icon. The reader supported almost all blog-reading services, apart from Google’s own.

Picture – Google RSS Subscription Reader Extension Screenshot

With the extension no more now, Google has sent a strong message that was getting out of the RSS community – and possibly the business as a whole. The RSS format never really won mainstream popularity and was mainly favored by researchers, programmers, journalists and those with a technical mindset. However, the format actually built up user engagement and contributed to a more direct communication between bloggers and users.

Clicking on the extension, in browsers where is installed and activated, would no longer make it function. The Guardian criticized the action of Google by commenting that killing Reader was quite akin to killing the bees hinting at a direct impact on the World Wide Web ecosystem of social engagement.

And in July when Google Reader’s plug get’s pulled? I’m sure Feedly et al are working on an alternative source to Google, but for now export your data, and import it to The Old Reader (http://theoldreader.com) Understandably, it’s been a bit hectic there since the announcement of the closure, I think they said they had a seven-fold increase in new membership? So your import may take a while – mine was queued for 3 days almost – but it’s worth it.

Hello I am so grateful I found your webpage, I really found you by mistake, while I was searching on
Askjeeve for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say kudos for
a remarkable post and a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the awesome work.

A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment.
There’s no doubt that that you should write more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but typically folks don’t speak about such
subjects. To the next! Kind regards!!